Car-fender.



No. 792,919. PATENTED JUNE 90, 1905. J. OLEARY.

GAB. FENDER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 7, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED JUNE 20, 1905.

J. OLEARY.

OAR FENDER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 7, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

yeiafoz.

PATENTED JUNE 20, 1905.

J. OLEARY.

CAR FENDER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 7. 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

. fweniaz 762% awe/5t f/ Patented June 20, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

' JOHN OLEARY, OF OOHOES, NEW YORK.

CAR-FENDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 792,919, dated June so, 1905.

Application filed November 7. 1904. Serial No. 231,738.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN OLEARY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oohoes, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Car-Fenders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to car-fenders, the object of the invention being to provide an effective device of this character which can be readily and quickly applied to a car and which requires no attention from a motorman or other operative in charge of the propulsion of such car, in that it is self-acting or automatic, and which is a life-saver.

The fender involves other objects and advantages which, with the foregoing, will be set forth at length in the following description, while the novelty thereof will be embraced in the claims succeeding said description.

I have selected for convenience of illustration and to indicate the many advantages of the invention one simple adaptation of the latter, which I will completely disclose in the description; but I do not limit myself to the showing thus made, for certain variations may be adopted within the scope of my claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a fender involving my invention and showing the same connected with a car. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view. Fig. 3 isa vertical sectional side elevation. Fig. 4 is a front elevation. Fig. 5 is an inside sectional view of the dash and some of the parts associated therewith Fig. 6 is a perspective detail of a buffer and certain cooperating parts. Fig. 7 is a similar view of a supporting-bracket and guide member.

Like characters refer to like parts throughout the different views.

In the drawings a vehicle is represented at 2, and thesame may be the familiar streetrailway car having opposite platforms, each equipped with the customary dash, as 3. The dash illustrated I will term the front dash, assuming that the car shown is to travel toward the left in Fig. 1. Only one platform and dash are shown.

The device is termed a fenderf but it includes in its construction a fender proper, as 4:, which I will hereinafter designate a fender, and a dash-guard 5, both of skeleton form. The fender 4: includes in its construction a frame member, as 6, of approximately rectangular form. I say approximately rectangular, for the reason that the side bars of the frame member are slightly outwardly bowed. From the side bars of the frame member the angular guards 7 depend, the longer branches of said guards being bowed to conform to the shape of the side bars of said frame member. The guards 7 are for the purpose of preventing a person from being struck by the steps or other projecting parts of a car and serve to push the person away from the path of the car. The inner or upper and outer or lower bars of the frame member 6 are joined by downwardly-bowed strips, as 8, suitably associated with said bars and which may be made of spring-steel or other desirable resilient metal, so as to yield when a person strikes the same and not cause injury to him.

The middle strips are spaced a little greater distance than the remaining strips and are connected by the rungs 9, said intermediate strips and rungs or cross-bars 9 constituting a ladder, to which a person who is rolled onto or falls against the fender L can cling.

On the under side of the frame member and suitably connected to the front and rear bars thereof at a point between the side bars are the downwardly-curved bars 10, arranged in parallelism and constituting a carrier for the fender. The rear ends of the fender-carrying bars 10 are pivotally supported by the hooked ends of brackets 11, connected rigidly with the vertically-disposed guide members 12, fastened in some desirable way to the platform of the car. When the fender is folded up, the upper cross-bar of the frame member thereof fits in the hooks of said brackets.

The dash-guard 5 includes in its make-up a frame 13, the side bars of which are providedwith vertically-disposed and grooved strips, as 14, on their rear sides to slidingly engage the vertically -disposed guide members to which I have hereinbefore referred. The frame of the dash-guard is further provided I on its forward side with compound curved resilient strips 13, which may be of ash, light steel, or other resilient or yieldable material, so as to cause no injury to a person thrown against the same. The frame 13 is provided with depending yokes 15, to the transverse portions of which are shown as connected the lower ends of pull-springs, as 16, the upper ends of said springs being illustrated as connected with the heads of the guide members 12. It will be understood, therefore, that the dash-guard 5 is capable of up and down movement and that when the same is in its lower position the two springs 16 are stretched. When the appliance is in working position, the guard 5 is positively held down, but is automatically releasable, as will hereinafter appear, and when it is released the power of the two springs 16 immediately thrusts it up ward and into position to receive the impact of the body of a person picked up by the fender, so that said body will not strike the dash 3. The dash-guard is therefore separate from the dash-that is to say, I do not have to cover said dashand in this respect conforms to the requirement of street-railways.

From the upper bar of the dash-guard 5 a chain or equivalent connection, as 17, depends, said chain passing around the guidesheave 18 on the rock-shaft 19, carried by pendent bearings 20 on the under side of the platform. The guide sheave or wheel 18 is peripherally grooved to receive the said chain and is loose on the rock-shaft. From the sheave or wheel 18 the chain 17 extends upward through a hole or an opening in the platform and is provided at its free end with a pulling piece or block, as 21. When the said pulling-piece is drawn upward, it will be apparent that the dash-guard 5 will be drawn downward.

On the inner side of the dash 3 are arms 22, constituting a rest or support for the pulling-piece 21. When the parts are in operative relation, the pulling-piece rests upon the platform of the car.

To the shaft 19, near the opposite ends thereof, are affixed the elbow-levers or arms 23, connected at their outer ends with arms 24, the levers and arms being shown as longitudinally slotted and as united by screws, as 25, by virtue of which adjustability is secured to adapt the apparatus to cars the wheels of which are of different diameters.

To the outer ends of the slotted arms are jointed the elongated links 26, similarly connected at their forward ends to the bars 27, said bars being arranged in parallelism and constituting a carrier for the peripherallycorrugated roller 28, said roller being rotatively supported between the forward ends of the bars. The latter are connected just back of the roller by a transverse piece or brace 29. The bars 27 at their forward portions are curved over the forward bar of the fender frame member 6, while the brace is provided with a plate 30 centrally thereof and extending rearward therefrom and adapted to be sustained upon the said forward bar of the frame member 6. The bars 27 are illustrated as connected at their rear by the brace or cross-piece 31 and as having longitudinal slots 32 to receive eccentrically-disposed pins 33, extending laterally from the disks or plates 34, projecting downward from the sidebars of the frame 6. From the foregoing description it will be evident that the bars 27 are capable of movement relatively to the fender.

To the inner face of the dash 3 is united in any desirable way a frame-like structure 35, which serves in part as -a guide for the presser or setting device 36, said presser or setting device having an apertured head 37, in the aperture of which the foot or hand may be introduced to thrust the presser device downward. The presser device extends through a hole in the platform of the car and is connected at its lower end with a crank-arm 38, rigidly connected with the rock-shaft 19, substantially centrally thereof.

Upon the upper side of the links 26, near the rear ends thereof, are the hooks 39,which when the fender rests upon the ground or is in one of its inoperative positions are located at the rear of the vertical plane in which the cross-bars of the yokes 15 lie. When the fender rests upon the ground in the manner just set forth, the dash-guard 5 will be up.

To put the fender and guard in their running relation, the pulling-piece 21 will be elevated to lower the dash-guard5 to the limit of its downward movement or to bring the laterally projecting portions of the crosspieces of the yokes 15 into position to be engaged by the hooks 39. The hooks 39 can be caused to engage said lateral portions by a downward thrust on the presser or setting device 36, and when said downward thrust is exerted the links 26, through the intermediate parts, will be advanced forwardly in order to secure the engagement between the hooks and said lateral portions. At the same time that the links are moved forward the bars 27 by reason of their connection with said links will be correspondingly advanced, so as to move the roller 28, carried by the said bars, slightly in front of the fender. During the operation just alluded to the bars 27, in addition to being moved forward, are given, through their connections with the rock-shaft, a slight diagonal upward movement, so that they by acting against the pins 33 will lift the fender from the track or road-bed, and of course the fender and dash-guard will be held in their shifted or set relation by virtue of the engagement of the hooks 39 acting as latches with the dash-guard frame. To positively hold the roller or buffer 28 slightly in advance of the fender, I show as interposed between the parts a coiled spring, as 40, said spring being connected at one end with the forward bar of the fender-frame and at its opposite end to the brace 31.

Upon the framing 35, on the inner side of the dash 3, are superposed latches 41, the upper latch, by engaging a pin 42 on the presser device 36, serving to maintain the latter in its elevated position and naturally maintaining the fender, through the intermediate parts, rigidly in a lowered position. The lower latch by engaging said pin serves to maintain the fender in an upwardly-folded position, in which relation the upper cross-bar of the fender fits in the hooks of the brackets 11.

When the apparatus is set, it will be understood that the dash-guard 5 is down, leaving the forward side of the dash uncovered, and that it is held in such position by the hooks or latches 39 engaging the yokes 15, connected with or forming a part of said dash-guard; also, that the fender is slightly elevated above the track. The roller or buffer 28 during such time will be in advance of the forward cross-bar of the fender-frame.

The roller or rotative buffer 28 is arranged to be at intervals automatically rotated, and for this purpose a band or endless cable, as 43, may be provided, said band or cable extending around the forward axle of the car 2 and also fitting in a peripheral groove or channel in the roller, so that when the belt is tensioned or tightened the roller will be driven from the axle as the car moves forward, thus serving to positively move a person lying prone upon the track onto the fender. One run of the band extends over a peripherallygrooved guide-wheel 44, suitably supported upon the frame of the dash-guard 5.

As previously stated, when the parts are set the dash-guard will be down and the fender will be slightly above the track or roadbed, the band 43 during this relation being naturally lax. When, however, a person is struck by the roller or buffer, which is in ad- Vance of the fender, the obstruction willthrust the roller rearwardly, thereby through the intermediate parts disengaging the hooks or latches 39 from the dash-guard, so that the stretched springs 16 can immediately elevate said guard. When the hooks or latches are disengaged from the guard, the fender can of course drop, the roller moving therewith. The upward elevation and falling of the fender and roller tensions the band or cable 43, so that in case the person struck by the roller is recumbent or prone upon the track the roller can positively roll him onto the latticework forward face of the fender to thereby prevent injury to him. Should the person be thrown toward the dash, he cannot strike the same, but will be thrown directly against the resilient strips 13 of the dash-guard.

To swing the fender up to its folded position, it will be necessary to let the dash-guard 5 down a slight distance, or a distance sufficient to lax the band 43. When the fender is swung up to its folded position, it will be maintained in such position by the lower latch 41 engaging the pin 42 on the presser device 36.

To the upper side of the dash-guard frame is connected a spring-latch 45, adapted to engage a keeper 46 on the front of the dash 3 when the dash-guard is thrust upward by the power of the spring 16, thereby preventing rebound of said dash-guard.

The use of the apparatus hereinbefore described makes it impossible for a car equipped with the same to run over a person. It is automatic inits action, requiring no attention from the motorman except to have it set in the first instance. The dashguard pre vents a person from striking against the dash, and at the same time it does not cover when in its set position the dash. The roller prevents a person from being dragged along the tracks, and when it encounters a person it rolls him over on the fender,-where he will not be injured by reason of the lattice-work construction thereof and where he can grasp the rungs 9, forming a ladder-like part of the fender. The yieldable nature of the strips 8 and 13 on the fender and dash-guard, respectively, prevent injury to a person coming in contact violently with the same. The apparatus is simple in construction, can be inexpensively made, and readily applied to a car. It is adjustable and possesses other and many advantages, which will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a dash-guard arranged for upward and downward movement, a fender cooperative with the guard, automatically-releasable means for holding the dash-guard down and the fender in operative relation, and means for thrusting the guard upward when released by said means.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a dash-guard arranged for upward and downward movement, automatically-releasable means for holding the dashguard down, and means for thrusting the guard upward when released by said means.

3. In an apparatus of the'cla'ss described, the combination of a dash-guard arranged for upward and downward movement, automatically-releasable means for holding the dashguard down, and a spring connected with the dash-guard for thrusting the same upward when released by said means.

4. In an apparatus of the class described,

the combination of a dash-guard arranged for upward and downward movement, a suitablyguided flexible connection having a pulling member which, when operated, serves to draw the dash-guard down, automatically-releasable means for holding the dash-guard down, and means for thrusting the dash-guard upward when released by said means.

5. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a dash-guard arranged for upward and downward movement, a fender, a bufling device arranged in advance of the fender, means associated with the bufiing device for holding the dash-guard down, and adapted to release the same when the bufling device meets with an obstruction, and means for thrusting said dash-guard upward when released.

6. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a dash-guard, arranged for upward and downward movement, a fender, a rotative roller, constituting a bu ffing device, arranged in advance of the fender, a latch 00- operative with the roller and arranged to hold the dash-guard down when the roller is in its advanced position, and, when said roller is thrust rearward, on striking an obstruction, to free the dash-guard, and means for thrusting said guard upward when thus freed.

,7. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of acar having a dash, a guard for said dash, arranged for upward and downward movement, a fender, a latch, means on the car for causing the latch to move into position to hold the said guard down, a buifing device in advance of the fender, arranged, when thrust rearward by striking an obstruction, to release the latch and free the guard, and means for thrusting said guard upward when freed.

8. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a dash-guard arranged for upward and downward movement, a fender, a roller and its carrier, the roller being arranged 'in advance of the fender and the carrier being adapted for movement with respect to the fender, a latch cooperative with thesaid carrier and located to hold the said guard down and, when the roller is thrust rearward, to free the guard, and means for thrusting the guard upward when thus freed.

9. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a dash-guard arranged for upward and downward movement, automatically-releasable means for holding the dashguard down, means for thrusting the guard upward, when released by said means, and means for preventing rebound of the guard, when thus thrust upward.

10. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a dash-guard arranged for upward and downward movement, a fender, a roller arranged in advance of the fender, a carrier for the roller, cooperative with the fender, and arranged for movement relatively thereto, means on the fender for guiding the carrier, a latch cooperative with the carrier for holding the said guard down, said latch being adapted to free the guard when the roller is thrust rearward, and means for thrusting the guard upward when thus released.

11. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a dash-guard arranged for upward and downward movement, a fender, a roller arranged in advance of the fender and capable of movement relatively thereto, means cooperative with the roller for holding the guard down and for releasing the same by and on the rearward movement of the roller when the same strikes an obstruction, means for thrusting the guard upward when the same is released, and means for causing the rotation of the roller.

12. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a dash-guard arranged for upward and downward movement, a fender, a roller, constitutinga buffing device, coopera tive with the fender, a band for driving the roller, and a tensioning device for the band, movable with the guard.

13. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a dash-guard arranged for upward and downward movement, a fender, a roller, constituting a buffing device, cooperative with the fender, means for releasably holding the guard in a downward position,

means for thrusting the guard upward, when released, a driving-band for rotating the roller, and a band-tightening device carried by the guard.

14. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a car, having a dash, a guard for said dash arranged for upward and downward movement, a swinging fender, a bufiing device arranged in advance of the fender and yieldingly connected therewith, a carrier for the fender, means on the fender for guiding the carrier in its movements relative to said fender, links connected with the carrier and extending rearward therefrom, a shaft having elbow-levers, arms connecting the elbow-levers and links, latches carried by the links and serving to hold said guard down, a presser device carried by the car, a crankarm on said shaft, to which the presser device is connected, and means for positively thrusting the guard upward when released from a lowered position.

15. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a car having a dash, a guard for said dash, arranged for upward and downward movement, a swinging fender cooperative with the guard, a roller yieldingly held in advance of the fender, a carrier for the roller, cooperative with the fender and comprising parallel slotted side bars, pins on the fender, entering the slots of said bars to,

guide the carrier in its backward and forward motion relative to the fender, links connected In testimony whereof I have hereunto set to said bars and provided with hooks to hold my hand in presence of two subscribing Wit- I0 the guard down, a rock-shaft provided with nesses.

elbow-levers, arms connecting t e respective levers and the links, a, presser device, an arm JOHN O LEARY' fixed to said shaft and connected to said presser Witnesses:

device for operation thereby, and means for JOHN KANE,

thrusting the guard upward. LEONIDE SURPRENANT. 

